Shoe-expander.



G. D. COMPTON. SHOE EXPANDBR. APPLICATION FILED JULY 17, 1013.

Patented Jan. 13, 1914.

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Elilil CLARENCE D. COMPTON, OF NEW' YORK, N. Y.

SHOE-EXPAND'ER.

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To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE D. Conr- TON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Shoe-Expander, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to a novel device including expanding members to fit within the shoe, and movable toward and from each other, there being a wedge, and means for advancing the wedge for forcing the expanding members apart against the opposite sides of the shoe.

It is a design of my invention to improve in various particulars devices of the character indicated, to the end that general elliciency may be promoted, as well as economy of manufacture and simplicity of adjustment and operation.

The invention will be particularly explained in the specific description following.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a shoe expander embodying my invention, the outline of a shoe being also indicated to illustrate the application of the device; Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view on a larger scale; and Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

In constructing a shoe expander in accordance with the illustrated example, two similar expanding blocks 10 are provided, having their opposed faces 11 beveled in converging planes. Between the blocks 10 a wedge 12 is received, and is adapted to be advanced to force the said blocks apart against opposite sides of the shoe when the device is placed within the latter, as indicated in Fig. 1, in which the outline of a shoe is designated by the letter A. To give the blocks a proper guided movement relatively to each other, each block has driven therein a transverse guide pin 13, the pins thus projecting from the beveled faces 11 of the respective blocks, and a pocket 14 is formed in each block to slidably receive the pin 13 of the opposite block.

The wedge 12 has a through horizontal slot formed therein between the top and bottom, through which the pins 13 extend Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 17, 1913.

lllatented Jan i 3, il fillet.

Serial No. 729,450.

across the space between the blocks; the slot provides clearance for the movements of the wedge relatively to the pins 18. In order to advance the wedge ll provide a means associated with the wedge and with one of the guide pins. For the purpose, a screw bolt 16 is employed, extending through the back end 12 of the wedge 12, and into the slot 15 in a direction normal to the pins, and the bolt is formed with a hook 1o at its forward end which is adapted for hooked engagement with the adjacent pin 13. A. wing nut 17 Or its equivalent takes onto the bolt 16 behind the wedge 12, the arrangement being such that the forward turning of the nut will force the wedge forward and give a relatively rearward pull on the blocks through the medium of the engaged pin 13, to force the expanding blocks 10 apart. The nut 17, as is obvious, may bear directly against the wedge, or through the medium of an interposed washer 18.

By the improved construction I am enabled to produce the complete device in compact form of few and simple elements involving a minimum cost of manufacture, while at the same time the device will be eliicient, strong and durable and capable of convenient adjustment and operation.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A shoe expander, comprising sepa able blocks, the opposed faces of which are beveled in converging planes forming a tapered space therebetween, the wedge fitting between the blocks and bearing against the beveled faces thereof, said wedge having a. slot extending transversely from one beveled face to the other between the top and bottom of the wedge, parallel guide pins projecting from the respective beveled faces of the blocks through the slot of the wedge, each block having a socket slidably receiving the pin of the other block, a hooked bolt disposed approximately normal to the pins and extending through the back of the wedge forwardly into the slot of the latter and engaging by its hooked end with one of the guide pins, and a nut on the bolt to advance the wedge.

2. A shoe expander, comprising transversely separable blocks, a pin extending from one block and slidably received in the opposite block, a wedge between the blocks to wedge them apart, the wedge having a transverse slot through which the pin passes, a bolt extending longitudinally in the wedge, the forward end of the bolt having connection with said pin, and a nut on the bolt for advancing the wedge.

3. A shoe expander comprising expanding members to fit within and expand a shoe, said members being movable toward and from each other, guiding means extending transversely between the expanding members to guide the same in their movements to and from each other, a wedge between the members having a slot through which said guiding means passes, and means associated with the said wedge and guiding 15 Witnesses GEORGE GLASS, THOMAS SMYTH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner Washington, D. C.

of Patents, 

